Owner Franz Guest said he's thinking about staying open until 2:30 on the weekends, now that he's hired experienced manager Amelia Curtis.
He fries eggs with swift precision. He makes the campus-renowned “J.B.” sandwich. He greets every customer with a smile.
He’s that dude in the Laundromat. People know him.
He’s Franz Guest, owner of Franz’s Food. Franz has been a fixture on Main Street for the past eight years, serving an original selection of breakfast items, sandwiches, burgers, and fries to Durham locals and hungry UNH students.
And he doesn’t sit still.
This week, Franz is making some notable changes to his extensive menu. He’s adding three new breakfast sandwiches to a brand-new menu display. His credit card machine now operates through an Internet connection, resulting in speedier food purchases. And he’s even contemplating a return to late-night service, something he hasn’t done for years.
“I have a new manager,” Franz said, explaining this year’s onset of innovation. He said that was the first step in attracting enough employees. Only now has he begun toying with the idea of a late-night service for the college crowd, something he’d rather not do on his own.
“It’s like pulling an all-nighter night after night,” said Franz of the proposed 2:30 a.m. closings on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
If attempted, Franz said he would plan on selling breakfast items – ham and egg sandwiches, the “J.B.” – along with hot dogs, fried chicken, fries, and coffee. The coffee would be a “big public service,” as far as Franz is concerned.
“I think late nights are a good idea,” said Franz’s new manager Amelia Curtis, 20. “I don’t see why drunk UNH students wouldn’t want a J.B. in the morning.”
Franz hired Curtis last August. A lifelong Durham resident, Curtis has worked at a number of downtown shops and restaurants, including the Durham Marketplace and a stint managing Young’s restaurant.
The three new sandwiches will be introduced on the new menu by Saturday, Franz estimated.
“This is a big thing for me,” Franz said. “The menu board used to be all paper, now it’s vinyl. It’s more professional.”
The “Dr. G., “G.B.L.T.,” and “Annie’s Big Beef,” all combinations dreamed up by Franz and his staff, each have unique ingredients and creation methods.
The “Dr. G.” consists of fried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, an egg with melted cheese (“preferably cheddar,” Franz suggested), bacon, ham or sausage and hots on a flame-grilled bagel (plain or sesame).
I loved to stay at home in my summer vacations. But I want to say that you have good lists that we can do in our summer. I definitely try some of these whenever I go for my summer break. Thank you for sharing such a brilliant idea I’ll have fun trying this.
As a wildlife ecology student I took issue with a specific paragraph in this article: "It is important that we remember that oil is a natural substance as well. It’s not like we dumped a couple million gallons of diesel fuel in the ocean…this stuff actually came from the depths of the ocean. That is not to downgrade the effect this spill will have on the Gulf of Mexico. Instead I just mean to say it will eventually be corrected by a long-lasting cleanup presence in the area." Yes, crude oil is a natural substance, but that doesn't make it any less toxic to ecosystems. I might remind you that uranium and lead are natural substances too. Also, crude oil is a substance that is naturally sealed underground for millions of years. It was humans who unleashed it. If oil spills occurred naturally ecosystems might have evolved ways of dealing with them. But they aren't natural occurrences. The only way the ecosystem will recover is with lots of elbow grease and Dawn dish soap. Don't downplay the ecological impact of an oil spill just because oil is "a natural substance". Every poison we've ever come up with had to come from nature in some form.
I love being outside during the summer! We stay around my pool or on a beach somewhere under an umbrella, enjoying a fruity, frozen drink. Thanks for the suggestions. I will definately be adding some of these to my yearly summer activities. I like to cram everything I can into the few short months of freedom that I have before I jump back into the semester.
I started the list in '81 while at NH Technical College. Been a peak bagger ever since. What a great way to spend a Saturday. While making plans for your next hike, check out TrailsNH.com for current trail conditions and more reliant info.
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